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Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Postscript: Well, Barack Obama has again shown himself the better politician. Trillions added to the National Debt. No plan to reform Entitlements, even though they are rapidly going broke. High unemployment. The Middle East coming to another unchecked, violent boil, the man's policies (in as much as anyone can figure out what they are) in shreds. No plan for his second term, but to protect policies that he does not dare mention on the campaign trail -- an unpopular, expensive, bureaucratic, and ineffective health care program, and vast "stimulus" spending that disappeared like water into the sand. Partial-birth abortion as a Constitutional Right.

So how did he win? As I said, he proved himself the better politician. Not the wiser, kindlier, more honest, or more responsible person. For the second time, Obama has demonstrated how irrelevant those qualities can be to winning higher office, if not positive impediments. Obama beat honorable, decent, and capable opponents by scaring old people into thinking they would lose their Social Security, women into thinking they would be forced to be barefoot, silent, and pregnant, college students with fear of losing free government subsidies, and people in general, with hatred of the rich. (Waving around a plan to raise tax rates on the very wealthy, and pretending it was a serious policy proposal to solve the National Debt, when he knew full well that it was nothing of the sort, which is one reason he didn't push it when the Democrats owned the House. But as a political gimmick, it seems to have done its job, which was to focus attention on Mitt Romney's culpable wealth.)

Romney put people out of business. He has off-shore bank accounts. He outsourced to China. He's a near-criminal, almost guilty of murder, and his running mate wants to push old ladies in wheelchairs off of cliffs.

Lies and slander. Slander and lies.

A classical, and effective, formula in politics, since people settled down and formed the polis.

Of course, Obama also had a few other factors in his favor, outside of his control. Americans like to give their presidents a full eight years, if at all possible. Growth in the Hispanic population gave Obama New Mexico, and probably helped in a few very close races. A nicely-timed storm proffered the opportunity for Barack to put on work clothes and "look busy," as the bumpersticker puts it, along with a bear-hug and silly flattery from the governor of New Jersey. (Who might just as well go over to the Democratic Party now, if he continues to maintain further political ambitions. Well, maybe best to wait a few months, for propriety.) An obsequious press, which refused to confront Obama with the scandals of Benghazi, Iran, National Debt, or anything else.

All hail Caesar Obama!

Sic gloria transit mundi.

This, too (and maybe America, as the great power and relatively benevolent it has been) will pass.

On the other hand, if Alexander Solzhenitsyn could stand with truth and nothing else, and face down the Soviet Union, maybe it's too early for us to give up, too.